Improvement in sewing-machines



5 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. BIGELOW.

Sewing-Machine. No. 214,354. Pa'fented April 15, 1879.

WITNESSES INVENTOR L ATTO R N EY 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. BIGELOW. Sewing-Machine. No. 214,354. Pat ted April 15, 1879.

I. l mu 'N'VENTOR ATTORNEYS PETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D c.

58h t -sn t4. J. BIGELOW. Sewing-Machine. No. 214,354. Patented April15,1879.

HIM MW fgTNEssEs INVENTOR 5. E I

ATTORNEY N PETERS. PHOTO LITHOGRAFNER, WASH NCTON u c 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

J. BIGELOW. Sewing-Machine. No. 214,354. Patented April 15, 1879.

WITNESSES INVENTOR Wgga 7 0C ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

JOHN BIGELOW, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,354, dated April15, 1879; application filed December 29, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, J OHN BIGELOW, of the city of Philadelphia, in thecounty of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machines, of which the followingis a specification.

Figure 1 shows the trimmer and presserfoot attachments as applied to asewing-machine. Figs. 2 and 3 are front and end views of thepresser-foot attachment. Fig. 4 shows another method of applying thelifting device to the presser-foot. Figs. 5 and 6 are side and top viewsof my improved feed-dog; Figs. 7 and 8, side and top views of thefeed-dog slide. Fig. 9 shows the rocking lever by which the actuatingmotion is conveyed from the motive-cam to the trimming device; Figs. 10and-11, side and front views of an upright vertically-reciprocatinglever, which receives its motion from the rocking lever, Fig. 9, andconveys the same to the upper cutting-blade of the trimmer proper; Figs.12 and 13, front and side views of the collar which embraces theactuating trimmer-cam, and receives from it motion, which it conveys toone end of the rocking lever, Fig. 9. Fig. 14 is the rest and guide forthe collar, shown in Figs. 12 and 13. Fig. 15 shows the trimmer-cam onthe drivingwheel. Figs. 16 and 17 show top and end views of the supportfor the lower blade of the trimmer, on which the upperblade rocks. Figs.18, 19, and 20 show top, side, and end views of the trimmer-guard andwork-guide; Fig. 21, side view of upper trimmer-blade; Fig. 22, sideview of lower trimmer-blade. Figs. 23 and 24 show top and side views ofthe guide for the support-plate, shown in Figs. 16 and 17. Fig. 25 showswork sewed with the zigzag stitch and closely trimmed. Fig. 26 showswork sewed with straight stitch and trimmed. Fig. 27 is a detail view ofthe guide and trimmer.

My invention relates more particularly to that class of sewing-machinesin which a zigzag stitch is made, and it is designed to especially adaptthis class of machines for use in sewing and trimming knit goods.Ordinarily such goods, when sewed by hand or machine, have the edges ofthe seam trimmed by hand; but in some cases trimming devices have beenapplied to the ordinary straight-stitch sewingmachine. In both styles ofwork, however, a large amount of fabric has to be left on the outer edgeof the seam,because, from thereadiness with which knit fabrics unravelwhen the cloth is cut close to the scam, the stitching will pull out;but by using the zigzag stitch the fabric may be cut very close to thesewing, as this stitch serves to bind the knitted threads together,forming a kind of selvage, thus preventing the seam from opening evenwhen out close to the sewing. When two pieces of knit goods are sewedtogether by the zigzag stitch and then cut close to the sewing, theeffect is, to some extent, the same as when the seam is made over theedge of two pieces of selvage goods, as the stitch binds the edges ofthe materials, and the loose threads, if any, and the short fibers leftby the action of the trimmer, will felt together, especially in fullin gor washin g, producing an article much superior to any made with astraight line of sewing, whether cut close to the edge or not. Theordinary trimmers, as usually arranged on sewing-machines, will not, forreasons hereinafter explained, make a smooth out when used on thevibrating-plate zigzag-stitch sewing-machine,

I have, therefore, combined with the zigzag sewing-machine, to betterfit it for use on knit goods, an improved trimming device, so arrangedthat a smooth out may be made at any desired degree of contiguity to theline of stitching without danger of destroying the seam, whereby theusefulness of the zigzagstitch sewing-machines is very much increased,which practically inaugurates a new departure in the manufacture ofhosiery, as my invention permits the use of cut knit goods without thebulky seams heretofore necessary in articles made therefrom, thus makinga cheap article of hosiery that will be as comfortable to the wearer asregular fashioned or selvage goods. In addition to this valuable pointin my invention, its use will enable the manufacturer employing it toeffect a considerable saving in material, as much of the fabric now lefton the finished articles will be retained in the factory in the form ofclippings, to be again used in making new cloth.

For convenience of description my invention may be divided into fourmain features, as follows:

First. In the combination of atrimming device with a zigzag-sewingmechanism.

My second improvement is in the presserfoot.

I am aware that heretofore the presser foot has been attached to thesliding plate, from which it takes motion, receiving its pressure fromthe presser-bar of the machine. In such cases the presscr-foot does nottake a flat bearing on the work, but rides on one side of the foot orthe other, as the work is thick or thin.

By my arrangement the reciprocating motion is obtained from the slidingplate; but the foot and its accompaniments are attached to theresser-bar of the machine, by which alone its pressure on the work isadjusted; also it does not matter whether the work is thick or thin,whether the foot is high or low, its surface-bearing is always parallelwith the plate of the machine.

My third improvement consists in combining a cutting or edge-trimmingapparatus with the device used in the Blanchard overseaming and othersimilar machines for imparting to the fabric being sewed a lateralmotion at an angle to the usual direction of the line of feed. the twobeing so connected together as to cause the cloth and trimmer to movesimultaneously, whereby an important advantage is gained in trimming theedges, as without such combined movement the cut made by the trimmerwould be irregular or jagged, because the alternate cut of the trimmingdevice would be made at different distances from the center of the lineof sewing.

My fourth improvement consists in a device for uniting fabrics by sewinga line of zigzag stitching a short distance from the edge, then cuttingoff the surplus material close to the stitching during the process ofsewing, thus forming a seam from out fabrics analogous to one formedover the edges of selvaged goods.

In addition to these main features of my invention there are minordetails of construction for the more effectual carrying out of thebefore-mentioned principal points, which will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

Having thus set forth the nature and objects of my improvements, I willnow proceed to describe them in detail.

The feed-dog H, Figs. 5 and 6, is made like an ordinary feed-dog, exceptthat the teeth are left off, and the part on which the teeth are usuallyformed is made into a male dovetail, H, which fits into a correspondingfemale dovetail, J, cut into the under surface of a cap, J, providedwith feeding-teeth J ,the two dovetails being so fitted together as toallow the cap to slide freely on and move independently of the feed-dogat an angle to the usual motion with the dog in the same direction asthe dog moves.

The cap J is so proportioned to the aperture in the vibrating plate asto allow of the usual endwise to-and-fro motion of the ordinary feed butthe plate closely embraces the side of the cap, so that anytmotion givento the slide is always transferred to the cap, by which means the slideand cap move simultaneously and transversely to the usual line of thefeed without affecting the feeding-dog beneath.

My improved presser-foot acts on the work being sewed exactly like thepresser-foot of a straight-sewing machine; but it is quite dif ferent inits construction and operation, so as to allow it to follow the lateralreciprocations of the vibrating plate of an irregular-stitchsewing-machine, such as the Blanchard overseam machine. The regularpresser-bar of the machine has fitted to its lower end the support B,Figs. 2, 3, and 4, for the reciprocating-bar C. At one end of the bar 0is the angle-piece 0', adapted to slide up and down freely in thestandard D, which is securely attached to the sliding plate of themachine. At the opposite end of the bar 0, and secured to the same by aset-screw, is the presser-foot support E, to which is attached, at E,the presser-foot F. The standard D conveys to bar 0, which is preventedfrom rocking by the angle-piece c, the laterally-reciprocating motion ofthe plate of the machine. The bar (3, which slides freely in the supportB, carries with it in its reciprocating movements the presser-footsupport E and presser-foot F; consequently, whatever may be themovements of the bed or work plate of the machine, those of thepresser-foot are similar, and since it only receives a lateralreciprocating movement from the standard D, the pressure which it exertsupon the work is adjusted in the usual way, and can be made as heavy orlight as may be desired.

The principle of the cutting of my trimme is practically that of a pairof scissors when two comparatively dull or blunt edges are made to cutby the manner in which they are drawn across each other. The sidepressure which, in using scissors, the hand gives the blades is hereproduced by a spring, N and the opening-and-shutting scissor motion iscaused in this instance by the positive action of a cam, K. By myarrangement the cuttingblades open and shut with each revolution of themain shaft of the machine; but of course they can easily be arranged towork less often, if desired.

The actuating-cam K, Fig. 15, is attached securely to the driving-shaftof the machine. The yoke L, Figs. 12 and 1, embraces the cam K; but ismade to receive from it only a vertically-reciprocating motion, and issteadied in its movements by the rod L projecting from its lower sideand working in the support V, which is screwed to the back of the neckof the machine. By means of the screwstud L, Figs. 12 and 13, themotions of yoke L conveyed to the rocking lever M, Fig. 9, at

The lever M is pivoted near its center, at M, to the side of the neck ofthe machine, and the motion it receives at M it delivers inversely, atM, to the vertically-reciprocating rod N, Figs. 1, 10, and 11, at N,which point should be made adjustable. (See Fig. 10.) The rod N is heldto its proper position by screws passing through the slots N and intothe side of the machine-head, also the pin N passing through thebed-plate of the machine. The motion which the rod N receives it,conveys, through the pin N, to the upper trimmer-blade, 0, Figs. 1 and21, at 0 The blade 0, as its receives its motion, rocks on itspivot-screw at 0, which pivot-screw is set in the lower trimmer-bladesupport, R. at B Fig. 16.

The lower blade-support, R, is attached to the plate of the machine byscrews passing through the slots at R R Fig. 16, and has a set-oft at R,to furnish a hold for the screw which secures the lower trimmer-blade,P, Fig. 22, to it on its end R also for the guard and gage W, Figs. 18,19. and 20, which is secured to its upper side, R

The guide S embraces the edge of the support-plate R, and since saidguide Sis secured firmly to the bed-plate of the machine it receives allthe strain on the plate of the trimmer when in action, but does notcheck its lateral reciprocation, should such be desired. The spring NFigs. 10 and 11, bears against the back end and inner side of the upperblade, 0, and in ayielding manner keepsits cuttingedge 0 pressed againstthe cutting-edge P of the lower blade, P, acting in this respect similarto the hand of a person using a pair of scissors. By this arrangement ofthe spring N the rod N serves as a guard to prevent the loose threadsand ends of the fabric being sewed from catching on the spring, and thushindering the proper motion of the material.

The cutting-edges of the blades 0, Fig. 21, and P, Fig. 22, are smooth,but slightly acute, and hollowing a little toward each other, so thatwhen the blades are opened the point and edge of the upper blade, 0,projects over the lower blade, P, and as the blades close or are shuttogether their cutting-edges draw across each other in a manner similarto a pair of scissors.

The guard and guide W, Figs. 18, 19, 20, now shown attached to thesupport-plate R, is made removable and adjustable for differentthicknesses of work. its projecting neck extends along and over the edgeof the lower blade,

I, and beyond the side line of the needle, but

sufficiently high above the plate to allow the work being sewed to slideunder it freely. It serves the purpose of a guard, W to prevent thematerial to be trimmed from curling over and interfering with thecutter, and as aguide, W for the clearance from the machine of theclippings. K

The closeness of the trimmer tothe needle depends upon whether a longstraight seam is to be trimmed or an irregular one It is advisable thatit should trim or cut a close up to the needle, or along the side ofsame, as is possible-first, to allow irregular seams to be made; second,so that the teed shall not get free from the work until the work hasbeen completely trimmed. Of course, the trimmer can be set either closeor at a distance from the seam or line of sewing, as may be desired.

The operation of the machine is as follows: Place the work under thepresser-foot, as is customary with all machines, and stitch together thefabric placed over each other at a small or great distance from theiredges by either zigzag or straight sewing. As the material thus sewed isdrawn away by the feed from the needle, its edge to be trimmed passesbetween the two blades of the scissors or trimmer, which, by the actionof the cam on the driving-shaft and intermediate parts before described,open and close with each stitch, and consequently cut or trim the lengthof the goods equivalent to the length of the feed.

I am aware that it is not new to combine a trimming device with asewing-machine, and that many diii'erent styles of trimmers have beeninvented; but I have found my peculiar construction and arrangement tohave many advantages over any with which I am acquainted, andparticularly so when used with overseaming-machines, or on hosiery orknit goods. But it is evident, so far as that part of my invention isconcerned, that it is immaterial how the zigzag stitch be made, whetherby or through the means of a vibrating clothplate or by a vibratingneedle. In the latter case the shears might be made fixed andstationary.

I am also aware that a machine has been made with areciprocatingfeed-dog, having a feedin gsurface moving at right angles thereto; butboth the feed-dog and feeding-surface differ in construction andoperation from the corresponding parts used by me, and which I do notherein claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I consider new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the presser-bar A, support B, bar 0, andpresser-foot F with the reciprocating cloth-plate, the said bar 0 andcloth-plate being connected by a yielding joint, so as to move thepresser-foot and clothplate simultaneously, with their faces and line ofmotion always parallel to each other, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the presser-bar A, support B, reciprocating bar 0,guide 0, and standard D with the reciprocating presserfoot andcloth-plate, the Whole arranged and operating substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination ofa trimmer with a zigzag feeder, the two beingcombined, substantially as described, so as to move togetherlaterally,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination, with a reciprocating cloth-plate of a swing-machine,of a trimmer consisting of two shearing-blades pivoted to each other,one of which receives a vibrating Auction from some movable part of themachine, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a reciprocating cloth-plate, of a trimmer, thetwo being connected substantially in such a manner as to move togetheracross the line of feed, as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination, with the trimmer O I, of the rod N, lever M, yoke L,and cam K, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with a sewing-machine, of a trimmer arranged to movelaterally across the ordinary line of feed with the fabric being sewed,the trimmer and sewing mechanism being connected by a yielding joint, toallow the trimmer to move sidewise, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the trimmer O P, of the guard W, constructed asdescribed, and for the purposes set forth.

9. A trimming device, in combination with mechanism, substantially asdescribed, for making a zigzag stitch, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I aflix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

JOHN BIGELOW. \Yitnesses:

Rom. E. LESTER. WM. LAWRENCE BIGELOW.

